Like A Manga
by nano-desu13
Summary: Whilst thinking about the cliches of shoujo manga, Taiwan also reflects on her relationship with a certain thick-eyebrowed boy... Taiwan/Hong Kong


A/N: Um…I prefer Taiwan/Vietnam, but this was a request from a friend, so…

Yeah. Correct me if I made any mistakes; so I can correct them.

Taiwan loved anime. The art style was amazing, the merchandise was adorable, and she loved the feeling of being included in the world of fandom.

Most of all, the world of anime excited her. Life in a manga was just so much better than life in the real world. Sometimes she wished her life was more like the fantasy worlds Japan loved to come up with.

It was the romance mangas that were her favourite. She was obsessed with them to the point where her walls were dedicated solely to Ouran High and School Rumble, and she had the complete collection of Fruits Basket on her bedside desk. (In chronological order, I might add.)

One day, while flipping through a manga she borrowed at the library, she realized there was a pattern in the shoujo mangas she read. When it wasn't yaoi, it usually revolved around a clumsy, but pretty girl...

_Taiwan smiled politely at the lady in front of her. "Actress? I'm afraid I'm not, ma'am."_

The lady looked confused. "Really? Well, I assumed you were. You have one of those Hollywood faces. I'd give my soul to look like you~."

"R-Really? Well, I'm glad you think so." She helped the lady pick up the last of her things, and hurried away.

Things like this always happened. Being as uncoordinated as she was, she would bump into some stranger on the street, and almost every time, they'd ask if she was a model or an actress, or sometimes even hit on her. It was all very embarrassing. Even Hong Kong, who never gave compliments to anyone, said she was beautiful...

...and there would be several assorted sexy characters competing for that girl's affections, but one will really stand out above the others...

_It was Valentine's Day, and Taiwan had received countless morsels of affection from plenty of other nations, even some of the female nations (*coughBelgiumcough*). She got all kinds of gifts; you name it, it was probably on her doorstep._

She loved all the gifts, and in a way, she loved all the people who gave them. She couldn't help but gasp in amazement at the anime likeness of herself Japan had expertly drawn for her, the lotus bouquet from Vietnam was beautiful, and the maple-chocolates this one guy had sent were delicious. If only she knew what his name was.

But the best gift she got was the tongue-tied phone call from Hong Kong. Truth be told, he sounded irresistibly cute when he was flustered...  
  
...she and the boy she'd eventually end up with would share many, many, amusingly awkward moments with the girl...

_Taiwan was wandering along a shopping district one day, reading a magazine and sipping at bubble tea. She stopped in her tracks when she caught a glimpse of red cloth and chocolate-brown hair. "Oh! Hong-nii~!" She ran over to the taller boy, smiling._

Hong Kong blinked. "Ah...hello, Mei." he greeted.

Taiwan laughed when she saw what was in the shopping bags Hong Kong was carrying. "Is…that a stuffed panda?" she asked curiously.

He hastily jerked the bag away from her. "None of your business."

"It's okay if you still sleep with plushies, Hong-nii! I mean, I still have a nightlight…!" Taiwan exclaimed, loud enough for all the other shoppers to hear. Various people began to stare at the source of the sudden outburst, some of them giggling.

The black-haired girl put on an almost comical expression of embarrassment. "AH…! I-I didn't…I didn't mean-…"

Hong Kong just stared at the passerby, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter.  
  
…and a heated emotional argument that will strain their relations…

_"Why the hell are you always siding with Yao, Hong-nii?" Taiwan screamed._

"Because it's him I agree with, Mei. It's nothing personal." Hong Kong said coldly.

Taiwan felt her cheeks heat up in anger. She balled her hands into fists. "You two…you have missiles aimed at me!"

Hong Kong just shrugged, expertly keeping any signs of guilt off his face.

The Taiwanese girl stared into Hong Kong's heavy-lidded eyes, looking for a sign that he didn't really want to act so hostile towards her. She didn't.

As she turned sharply on her heel and walked away, she called furiously over her shoulder, "I hate you!"

When she was out of sight, Hong Kong wheeled around and angrily punched the wall, breathing heavily. "Damn it!"  
  
…but the two would always end up happily together in the end. Always.

Taiwan delicately closed the paperback with a thump. Her amber brown eyes stayed widened in realization as she compared all her memories to one of Japan's romance comics. They were so alike it was scary…

She thought of Hong Kong's role in her life. That time when she had screamed that she hated him was pretty much the last time they talked to each other…

'Well, that's not a very happy ending, is it?' Thought Taiwan bitterly, falling onto her bed with a sigh.

'I want to be friends with Hong-nii again…but I'm not supposed to be very fond of the Mainland…so, I'm scared to talk to him…' Taiwan wasn't a very brave person; she couldn't bring herself to talk to the person who represented part of the nation who was so hostile towards her. Deep down, she knew he wanted their place's relations to be better, but he hadn't said a word to her about it, save for the occasional glance at her at meetings when he thought she wasn't looking. 'He never even calls me…the Strait vs. Mainland thing is going too far…'

Depression tugged at the Taiwanese girl's chest. She wished she didn't give a damn about politics, so she can talk to Hong Kong without the tensions of their place's relationships get in the way of their personal ones.

Suddenly, the silence in the room was rudely ripped apart by a blaring ringtone. She reached over, annoyed, and picked up her phone, tapping on the Panda-Chan phone case in frustration. The phone case was a gift from Hong Kong. Go figure.

She looked at the Caller ID, and her scowl transformed in an instant into a smile. She pressed the Accept button, and held the phone delicately to her ear. "Hong-nii~?"


End file.
